Folding device for carriage-tops



(No Model. 5

LL. SHORT. FOLDING DEVICE FOR GARRIAGE'TOPS.

slvr'k WITNESSES. Q V 0 T wm- V H A TTORNEYS. I

UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

LAOROTA LEE SHORT, OF RUSSELLVILLE, MISSOURI.

FOLDING DEVICE FOR CARRIAGE-TOPS.

- SPECIFICATION formingpart of Letters retentive. 506,558, dated October10, 1893.

Application filed June 16. 1893.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, LACROTA LEE SHORT,-0f Russellville, in the county ofCole and State of Missouri, have invented a new and Improved FoldingDevice for Buggy-Tops, of which the following is a full, clear, andexact description.

The object of the invention is to providea new andjmproved device forconveniently and rapidly folding or extending buggy tops, while thevehicle is in motion, and which device can be readily attached to theordinary buggy tops now in use.

The invention consists principally of a shaft journaled in the box ofthe vehicle, and provided with arms for connection with the buggy topframe, and foot levers for imparting a rocking motion to the said shaftto open or close the buggy top.

The invention also consists of certain parts and details, andcombinations of the same, as will be hereinafter described and thenpointed out in the claims.

Reference is to be had to the accompanying drawings, forming a part ofthis specification, in which similar letters of reference indicatecorresponding parts in both the figures.

Figure 1 is a side elevation of the improvement as applied, part of thebox beingin section; and Fig. 2 is a transverse section of the same onthe line 22 of Fig. 1.

The improved device as applied to a vehicle of ordinary construction, isarranged in such a manner that the operator seated in the vehicle canreadily open or close the buggy top by actuating one of two levers bythe foot, the one lever serving, when actuated, to extend the buggy top,and the other to fold the same. As shown in the drawings, the vehiole isprovided with the usual box A, containing a seat B, on which isfulcrumed the buggy top 0, in the usual manner. In a box A directlyunder the seat B is journaled the transversely-extending shaft D,provided with the downwardly-extending arms E and E, arranged at anglesto each other, and pivotallyconnected by links F and F, respectively,with the foot levers G and G, respectively, fulcrumed at G and G in theforward part of the box A. The upper ends of the foot levers G and G areformed with serrated foot pieces G and G respectively, adapted to beSerial No. 477,857. (No model.)

engaged by the operators foot, so as to impart a swinging motion to thecorresponding lever to rock the shaft D, it being understood that whenone lever is actuated to swing forwardly, the other lever is caused toswing backward, as will be readily understood by reference to the fulland dotted lines in Fig. 1.

On each outer end of the shaftD is secured an upwardly-extending arm H,provided near its free end with an eye H, adapted to engage the side ofthe middle frame arm I, of the buggy top 0, so that when a rockingmotion is given to the shaft D by the operator actuating either of thefoot levers G or G, then the said arm H opens or closes the top 0, owingto its connection with the arm I of the frame for the buggy top. Theupper end of this arm I is connected at J with the to gle lever Jconnected at J with the front arm I of the buggy top 0.

The lower ends of the arms I and I are pivoted at l to the sides of theseat B, as illustrated in Fig. l, and as is usual. The lever J ispivotally-connected with a link K, likewise pivoted at K to the side ofthe seat B close to the pivot I for the frame of the buggy top. Thepivot J is'connected with a toggle lever L, pivotally-connected at L tothe side of the seat B'near the rear end thereof, as plainly shown inFig.1. The lower part of the ever L is connected by a link N, with thearm H so that a swinging motion given to the latter opens and closes thelever L to permitof conveniently folding the buggy top frame, ashereinafter more fully described.

The pivot L isengaged by the slotted end O of a link 0,pivotally-connected with a lever P, fulcrumed at P on the arm H andpivotally connected by a link Q, with the arm I of the buggy top framebetween the pivots J and I.

The operation is as follows: When the several parts are in ,the positionas shown in Fig. 1, the buggy top is extended, and when it is desired toclose the buggy top, the operator located on the seat B presses with hisfoot on the foot piece G of the lever G so as to impart a forwardswinging motion to the said lever thus causing a rocking of the shaft Din the direction of the arrow a. i This movement of the shaft causes arearward and downward swinging of the arm H so that a like rearward anddownward swinging motion is imparted to the buggy top 0 to fold thelatter. The folding is accomplished by the action of the links K, leversL and P, and their connections, so that when the buggy top finallypasses into a lowermost folded position the several parts assume thepositions illustrated in dotted lines in Fig. 1. Now, when the buggy topis folded and it is desired to raise or extend the same, then theoperator presses on the foot piece G wlich has assumed the positionshown in dotted lines in Fig. 1, so that a rocking motion is imparted tothe shaft D in the inverse direction of the arrow at, whereby the arm His caused to swing upward and forward, thus moving the buggy top to anextended position, the several parts of the buggy top frame being drawnout by their levers J and L, and their connections as above described.

It will be seen that by this arrangement, the operator seated on theseat B can by pressure of the foot, readilyopen or close the buggy topat any time, while the vehicleis in motion. 11: will further be seenthat the device for folding the buggy top can be readily applied on theordinary buggy tops, as now used.

Having thus fully described my invention, I claim as new and desiretosecure by Letters Patent 1. A buggy top folding device, comprising ashaft having arms connected with the buggy top frame, whereby topositively open and close said top and foot levers for imparting arocking motion to the said shaft for opening or closing the top,substantially as shown and described.

2. A buggy top folding device, comprising a shaft provided withupwardly-extending arms having a loose connection with the buggy topframe,downwardly-extending arms standing at angles to each other andalso secured on the said shaft, foot levers, and links for connectingthe said foot levers with the said arms standing at angles to eachother, substantially as shown and described.

' 3. A buggy top folding device, comprising a shaft provided withupwardly-extending arms having a loose connection with the buggy topframe, down weirdly-extending arms standing at angles to each other andalso secured on the said shaft, foot levers, links for connecting thesaid foot lovers with the said arms standing at angles to each other,and links and levers connecting the said first named arms with the buggytop frame to open andclose the individual parts thereof, substantiallyas shown and described.

4. A buggy top folding device comprising a shaft having arms connectedwith the buggy top and separate foot levers connected with said shaftand adapted for use in imparting rocking motions to the same wherebysuch shaft may be positively rocked to open or close the top allsubstantially as set forth.

5. A buggy top folding device comprising a shaft having arms connectedwith the buggy top frame and connections between said arms and thetoggle levers of the buggy top substantially as set forth.

6. The buggy top having a frame and toggle levers combined with ashafthaving arms connected with the frame and connections between said armsand the toggle levers whereby the oscillation of the shaft may set andrelease the toggles and may also positively raise and lower the topsubstantially as set forth.

7. The buggy top having a frame and toggle levers, combined with theshaft having arms connected with the frame, levers ful crumed betweentheir ends to said arms, links connecting one end of said levers withthe top frame, and links connected at one end with the other ends ofsaid levers and having their other ends slotted and engaging the lowerpivots of the back toggle levers all substantially as shown anddescribed.

, LAOROTA LEE SHORT.

Witnesses:

W. J. WOOLDRIDGE, J. O. W. MOLES.

